Exercising and amusement device



EXERCISING AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed May 5, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l'm -nmmmu I II I Z6 25 INVENTORS k/as 5P /V/7/1Z//7/V/ ATTORNEY Dec. 18, 1934.

EXERCISING AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed May 5, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z ll WM 77ATTORNEY J. MARZIANI ETIAL 1,984,591

Patented Dec. 18, 1934 EXERCISING AND AMUSEMENT DEVICE Joseph Marziani and Natale Casini, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 5, 1932, Serial No. 609,402

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to an exercising and amusement device which combines the utility of a toy for the amusement of children with the healthgiving properties of an exercising device for both children and adults.

Horseback riding has long been recognized as a very good exercise for the body in general, since it acts on almost all the muscles and bones of the human body and tends to correct posture. The beneficial character of horseback riding is derived primarily from the walk or gait of the animal which makes it necessary for the rider to accommodate himself on the back of theanimal to the corresponding movements.

It is, therefore, the object ofour invention to provide an exercising and amusement device which will closely simulate the gait of a horse and one which has to be moved by the effort of the rider and not by any mechanical, electrical or other extraneous, actuating mechanisms, thereby increasing the exercising and amusin value of the device.

To the above ends, our invention consists of an external representation of a horse, or any other desired quadruped, provided with movable legs. and means concealed within, such animal for effecting, a walking gait of said animal by the rocking of the person riding such animal to and fro in the saddle. a 1

Our invention further consists of means for guiding and turning the animal during its walking in any desired direction.

Our invention still further consists in various other novel features of construction and advantage, all as hereinafter described and claimed in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an exercising and amusement device embodying our invention and shown completely assembled.

Figure 2 represents a front elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation with the outer cover removed to show the internal construction, the device being shown with the animal taking a forward step.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the animal after it has taken a forward step and is about ready to take the next forward step.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts. and more particularly to Figure 4, 1 designates the trunk or abdomen of an animal, such as a horse, or the like, to which is pivoted at 2 the breast portion 3 extended at its upper end to form the neck 4 and extended downwardly to form the integral front legs 5 and 6. The breast portion 3 is provided with rear or inner bevelled edges which engage corresponding seats in the trunk portion 1 to form a ball and socket arrangement to permit the turning of the front part of the horse with respect to the trunk, all as will be best seen at 8 in Figure 6, the breast portion 3 being tensionedwithrespect to the trunk portion 1 by the springs 9 engaging the bracket 10 or any other elastic, yielding, tensioning devices, such as rubber connections or other flexible elements. Within the trunk or abdomen portion 1 of the animal are pivoted the hind legs 11 and 12 on the pins or pivot points 14 and 15 respectively, so that the legs 11 and 12 are capable of freely swinging on their pivots. As will be seen from Figure 5, the hind leg 11 and the front leg 6 are shorter than the hind leg 12 and the other front leg 5, so that with the animal resting on the legs 12 and 5, as shown in Figure 5, any pressure applied on the body portion 1, at a point above or to the rear of the pivot point 14, will depress the rear leg 11 into contact with. the floor, and with the pivot point 14 acting as a fulcrum will push the body of the animal forward from the position seen in Figure 5 to the position seen in Figure 4 with the stop member 17 engaging the corresponding seat 18 in the upper portion of the leg 11, as shown in Figure 4. In order to reduce the shock of impact, the stop member 17 is provided with a cushion 19 of any suitable material. the position shown in Figure 4, the legs 11, 12 and 5 are in contact with the floor, and a forward push on the body of the animal to bring the leg 6 into contact with the floor will utilize the leg 5 as a fulcrum, and the legs 11 and 12 now swing from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 5 ready for another forward swing by pressure on the trunk 1 at a point above or to the rear of the pivot point 14, all as above explained. The stop member 17 serves to limit the motion of the leg 11 in the opposite direction from that heretofore described by engaging the shoulder 21 while the spring 22 serves to accelerate the swinging of the leg 12 from the position shown in Figure 5 to the position shown in Figure 4. A foot rest or pedal 23 extends transversely at any suitable point in the leg 5 while a handle bar 24 extends transversely of the neck 4 at any suitable point.

When the animal is in 3 and the legs 12 and 5 are provided with transverse cross-pieces 26 to prevent unbalancing or keeling over of the device.

The operation is as follows: With the horse in the position shown in Figure 4 the rider leans forward thus depressing the leg 6 into contact with the floor by using the leg 5 as a fulcrum. This brings the legs 11 and 12 into the position shown in Figure 5, with the leg 11 out of contact with the floor. By leaning'backwards the rider depresses the leg 11 into contact with the floor, and the front legs 5 and 6 are thrown forward thus causing the horse to take another step,

as shown in Figure 4. A change in the direction of travel can be accomplished by manipulation of the handle bar 24, the head and neck portions of the horse being kept in" a straight line by the springs 9 or their equivalents.

It will thus be seen that we have devised a novel exercising device which can be made to simulate the gait of a horse by the leaning forward and backward of the rider on the animal thereby affording the rider an opportunity to exercise in the same manner as would be possible by natural horseback riding.

It will also be seen that our novel exercising and amusement device is of an extremely simple construction which reduces the cost of manufacture and distribution to a minimum-and that it requires no repairs due to the lack of complicated coacting parts.

While we have illustrated in our drawings the application of our invention to the body of a horse, it is to be undestood that the representation of any other type of animal is equally within the scope of our invention, since the mechanical arrangement that produces the walking gait can be applied to any animal having four legs.

It will also be seen that while we have produced and illustrated a walking horse-or other animal that is capable of effecting a walking gait, it is also within the scope of our invention to vary the length of the stride or to change the stride from a walking gait to a trot or a gallopby merely varying the eccentric relationships of the pivoted legs 11 and 12 in their size or length in proportion to the fixed legs without departing from the scope of our invention.

It will also be seen that, while we have shown a trunk portion 1 and a front or breast portion 3 with the legs 5 and 6 attached to or carried by the front portion 3, we are aware thatthe number of legs used and the distribution of the fixed and movable legs, with respect to the body portion which they support or propel, may be changed as to various details without materially altering the construction and. without sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. An exercising and amusementdevice comprising a body portion affording a seat for a rider and representing any desired animal, a pair of longitudinally spaced rigid front legs of different lengths carried by the front end of said body portion, and a pair of longitudinally spaced rear legs of different lengths pivotally secured to said body portion, whereby a rocking movement of the rider will advance said ;animal in a manner simulating the gait of such animal.

, 2. An exercising and amusement device comprising a body portion simulating the body of any desired animal and affording a seat for a rider, a pair of longitudinally spaced rigid front legs carried by the front end of said body portion, a pair of longitudinally spaced rear legs of different lengths pivotally secured to said body portion, and a spring for exerting forward pressure on one of said rear legs.

3. An exercising and amusement device comprising a body portion simulating the body of anydesired animal and affording a seat for a rider, a pair of longitudinally spaced rigid front legs carried by the front end of said body portion, a pair of longitudinally spaced rear legs of different lengths pivotally secured to said body portion, and a cushioned stop for limiting the movement of the rearmost of said legs.

4. An exercising and amusement device comprising a body portion simulating the body of any desiredanimal and afiording a seat for a rider, a pair of longitudinally spaced rigid front legs carried by the front end of said body portion, a pair of longitudinally spaced rear legs of different lengths pivotally secured to said body portion, a spring for exerting forward pressure on one of said rear legs, and acushioned stop for limiting the: movement of the rearmost of said legs. Y

I JOSEPH MARZIANI.

NATALE CASINI.

Zli 

